A guest artist exhibit at the Paris Junior College Foyer Gallery will hold a closing reception on Tuesday, April 4, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Artist Christy Wittmer will be present to explain her installation of “Mineral.” The reception follows an art workshop for area high school students.
“We are excited to host Christy’s exhibition in the Foyer Gallery,” said Art Instructor Lena Spencer. “Her artwork is not only beautiful and rich in texture but very intriguing in spatial design. I urge everyone to come by and see the work in person.”
The pieces balance experimentation with skilled craft, according to Wittmer, to create sculptures that challenge expectations of function and notions of stability.
“My intricate porcelain forms are records of time, skill and the process of making,” Wittmer said. “Broken objects are repaired because they are needed or valued. Found objects are inconsequential debris that are collected and given purpose. The time spent in making, repairing and finding becomes an act of caring embedded in the work.”
She arranges, assembles and stacks the materials, which are held together by the weight of one object supporting another.
“The tenuous stability of the work acknowledges the temporary equilibrium of the present moment,” Wittmer said.
Wittmer holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, a BFA from Miami University in Ohio, and had a Fulbright Grant to study at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institution in Jiangxi, China.
She has recently had artist residencies in Sheridan, Wyoming; Rome, Italy; Australia National University in Canberra; and past residences in multiple states and countries. Wittmer has had multiple national and international exhibitions and given many artist lectures.
“Christy will be leading the ceramic workshop during our Art Day Event where high school students visit the campus and participate in college level art workshops,” said Spencer. “Other workshops are led by Mary Musick, Mario Munguia, and myself. This year participating high schools are Chisum, Mount Pleasant, North Lamar, Paris, and Trinity Christian Academy.”
The Foyer Gallery is located at the southeast corner of the Paris Junior College campus and parking is available by entering from Collegiate Ave. just north of the Trail de Paris. Those unable to make the reception may still view the exhibit Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo: A piece from the Christy Wittmer guest artist exhibit “Mineral,” currently on view at the Foyer Gallery. A reception will be held Tuesday, April 4 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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